Needling apparatus



Aug. 10, 1965 P. PETERSKK 3,199,166

NEEDLING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5, 1963 INVENTOR PETER PETERSIK BY w iifiw United States Patent o, .4 6 Claims. (Cl. 23-4) This application is a continuation-in-part of applica tion Serial No. 236,480, filed November 7, 1962, now abandoned.

This invention relates to needling apparatus of the type used to work a loose fiber fleece in order to secure the fibers of the fleece together.

Loose fiber fleeces are commonly treated to secure the fibers together by reciprocating barbed needles through the fleece so that fibers or lengths of fibers are displaced from a position in which they extend in the plane of the fleece, to a position wherein they extend transversely of the plane of the fleece. The needled fabric with a multitude of transversely extending fibers or fiber lengths is substantially stronger than the fleece before needling in that the resistance of the fibers to forces tending to extract fibers from the fleece, is increased.

It is a principal object of the invention, to provide improvement in the needling operation in respect to the rate at which the needling can be performed.

The manner in which this object is attained according to the invention, and other objects of the invention, will be apparent from the following description, considered in reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of known apparatus for the needling of fiber fleeces;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of apparatus according to the invention for needling fleeces;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a barbed needle;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the apparatus of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a View indicating the mounting for needling apparatus, as is shown in other views of the drawing.

Referring to FIG. 1, known apparatus for needling of fiber fleeces comprises a needle carrier made up of a board it which supports needles 12 with the needle points the posed in spaced relation to the board, and a guide plate 14 having perforations l6 positioned so that upon reciprocation of the needle carrier, the needles pass through these perforations, and a lower guide plate 15 having perforations 16', likewise positioned so that the needles can pass therethrough. A loose fiber fleece to be knitted is passed between the upper guide plate 14 and the lower guide plate 15 in the direction indicated by the arrow 2%; the guide plates are fixedly positioned; the needle carrier reciprocates up and down so that the needles pass through the perforations in the upper plate, on through the loose fiber fleece, and into perforations in the lower plate. The needles are indicated in detail in FIG. 3, wherein, as is there shown, the needle 12, includes barbs A problem in the art is to provide rapid and extensive needling of the fiber fleece. The extent of needling can be increased by passing the fleece through the needling device at a slow speed, and can also be increased by increasing the rate of reciprocation of the needles. Further, the extent and rate of needling can be increased by reducing the spacing of the needles. When it is sought to reduce spacing, however, a limit is reached beyond which the spacing cannot be further reduced. Thus, a clearance must be provided between the needles and the peripheries of the perforations through which the needles pass, and, of course, allowance must be made for a suitable amount of material of the plates between the various perforations.

To reduce the spacing, it has been proposed to substitute for the perforations as l6, 16' shown in the apparatus in FIG. 1, elongated slots such as slots 18 in plate 19 shown in FIG. 2. This permits reduction of the spacing of the needles in one direction, though it does not reduce the spacing required in the direction to the direction of the elongated slot. If desired, the upper and lower guide plates 14 and 15 of the device shown in FIG. 1 can be replaced by plates having elongated slots as is indicated in the showing of plate 119 in FIG. 2.

According to the invention, a modification is made in the known needling devices whereby further improvement in respect to extent and rate of needling is facilitated.

Thus, in the device of the invention, there is a needle carrier and a plurality of needles mounted thereon with the needle points disposed for necdling of the fleece, and fleece guide means for guiding a fleece past the carrier for the necdling of the fleece, and means for reciprocating the needle carrier repeatedly to pass the needle points through the fleece from the side of the fleece adjacent the needle carrier and beyond the side of the fleece remote from the needle carrier, and then wtihdraw the needles from the fleece. The device of the invention is characterized in that the fleece guide means includes a bed of small particles disposed for supporting the fleece for the needling and receiving the needle points as the points pass beyond the side of the fleece remote from the carrier during the needling. The particles, which can be shot particles, are of a size and shape and hardness so that upon the bed receiving the needles as aforesaid, bed particles are displaced permitting lowering of the needles into the bed without substantial injury to the needles and without substantial injury to the particles. In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the particles are of a material such as iron which is responsive to magnetism, and the apparatus includes a magnet disposed so as to exert a magnetic influence on the particles to urge them into the bed. This tends to prevent the particles from being picked up and carried off by the fleece. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the shot particles are held by a container lined with a soft material such as a fabric. The depth of the bed of particles is desirably at least as great as the travel of the needles beyond the side of the fleece remote from the carrier.

A device according to the invention is depicted in FIGS. 2-5. As is indicated in the drawing, the needle carrier 24 includes the needle board it and the needles 12 which are mounted on the carrier, and the upper guide plate 19 which has slot-like perforations l8, and the lower guide member 21 which provides a bed of small particles 17, as described above. The fleece is passed between the guide plates 19 and 21 in the direction indicated by the arrow 20. As is indicated in FIG. 5, the needle carrier is mounted on a cross arm 25, which, in turn, is mounted on posts 26 and 27 in a manner to permit reciprocation of the needle carrier. An eccentric drive 28 is connected by connecting rod 259 to the cross arm 25 and serves to provide the desired reciprocating motion.

As is indicated in FlG. 4-, the bed of particles in the container 21 rests on a soft container lining 22, which can be a fabric lining. Further, the container 21 includes a plate 23, which can be the bottom of the container, and this plate is magnetized. The particles, which preferably are small shot particles, are of iron or like material, which is responsive to magnetic forces, and the field of the magnetic material 23 serves to urge the particles into the bed, and thus serves to prevent displacement of particles from the bed as might occur by reason of the fabric picking up particles.

In needling apparatus wherein the lower guide plate is perforated, either by holes such as is indicated in FIG. 1 or by elongated slots, the clearance necessitated for satisfactory operation of the lower guide plate will commonly determine the needle spacing. Thus, the needles pass through the fabric before arriving at the lower guide plate, and the movement of the needles through the fabric is accompanied by some measure of displacement of the needles from their desired travel in the direction of the needle axis. A perforated or slotted lower guide plate must be provided with a clearance appropriate to such displacement of the needles. In the apparatus of the invention, however, there is no clearance problem with respect to the lower guide plate, and, accordingly, the clearance can be based on the requirements with respect to the upper guide plate, and, hence, the invention permits a closer spacing of the needles.

While the invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments thereof, these embodiments are merely representative, and do not serve to set forth the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for needling a fiber fleece comprising:

(a) a needle carrier and a plurality of needles mounted thereon with the needle points disposed for use dling of the fleece;

(b) fleece guide means for guiding the fleece past the carrier for needling of the fleece;

(c) means for reciprocating the needle carrier .to repeatedly pass the needle points through the fleece from the side of the fleece adjacent the needle carrier and beyond the side of the fleece remote from the carrier, and then withdrawing the needles from the fleece, thereby needling the fleece;

the improvement which comprises:

(d) said fleece guide means including a bed of small particles disposed for supporting the fleece for needling and'for receiving the needle points as the points pass beyond the side of the fleece remote from the carrier during the needling, the particles being of a size and shape and hardness so that upon the bed receiving the needles as aforesaid, particles are displaced permitting lowering of the needles into the bed without substantial injury to the needles and without substantial injury to the particles.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the needles are barbed needles disposed in parallel rows.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said particles are shot particles.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said particles are of a material responsive to magnetism and the apparatus includes a magnet exerting magnetic influence on the particles to urge them into the bed.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the depth of the bed is at least as great as the travel of the needles beyond the side of the fleece remote from the carrier.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the depth of the bed is at least as great as the travel of the needles beyond the side of the fleece remote from the carrier, and said particles are of a material responsive to magnetism and the apparatus includes a magnet exerting magnetic influence on the particles to urge them into the bed, and wherein the needles are barbed needles disposed in parallel rows, and said particles are shot particles.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,225,671 5/17 Maussner 284 2,974,393 3/61 Hollowell 284 DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN APPARATUS FOR NEEDLING A FIBER FLEECE COMPRISING: (A) A NEEDLE CARRIER AND A PLURALTY OF NEEDLES MOUNTED THEREON WITH THE NEEDLE POINTS DISPOSED FOR NEEDLING OF THE FLEECE; (B) FLEECE GUIDE MEANS FOR GUIDING THE FLEECE PAST THE CARRIER FOR NEEDLING OF THE FLEECE; (C) MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING THE NEEDLE CARRIER TO REPEATEDLY PASS THE NEEDLE POINTS THROUGH THE FLEECE FROM THE SIDE OF THE FLEECE ADJACENT THE NEEDLE CARRIER AND BEYOND THE SIDE OF THE FLEECE REMOTE FROM THE CARRIER, AND WHEN WITHDRAWING THE NEEDLES FROM THE FLEECE, THEREBY NEEDLING THE FLEECE; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES; (D) SAID FLEECE GUIDE MEANS INCLUDING A BED OF SMALL PARTICLES DISPOSED FOR SUPPORTING THE FLEECE FOR NEEDLING AND FOR RECEIVING THE NEEDLE POINTS AS THE POINTS PASS BEYOND THE SIDE OF TRHE FLEECE REMOTE FROM THE CARRIER DURING THE NEEDLING, THE PARTICLES BEING OF A SIZE AND SHAPE AND HARDNESS SO THAT UPON THE BED RECEIVING THE NEEDLES AS AFORESAID, PARTICLES ARE DISPLACE PERMITTING LOWERNG OF THE NEEDLES INTO THE BED WITHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY INJURY TO THE NEEDLES AND WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL INJURY TO THE PARTICLES. 